For the week of 25-31 May 2020 there's really nothing much that I did so I went outside to get some shopping at Don Don and Cold Storage at Novena. And baked banana bread yesterday. Ha. That's about it. I don't plan my weekends - so usually I end up wasting them.

It's been a hot minute since I've done a blog post, but I've got to write about the latest craft beer brewery to launch in our sunny Singapore shores, Alive Brewing Co.! Yes, it's my brother and his friend's brewery in Tuas that took more than a year to conceptualise, plan, set up and research on. And then when they finally launched, Covid-19 hit Singapore like a wrecking ball. So I guess you could say this is the strongest craft beer brand in Singapore that is... ALIVE brewing co. Hur.

For Alive Brewing Co.'s 2020 drop, there's 3 beers so far, each brewed in a different style. Their vision is to follow classic beer styles and introduce new ones to Singaporeans in the freshest way possible - from tank to keg (or bottle) to mouth, hence the name of feeling "alive" when you taste it. Sounds good, so how does it taste?

I'm here to give a totally lay(wo)man, non-beer drinker review of these beers then. I had been recommending them to my friends to order via their informal Google form since launch, but it was only lately that I've tried all 3 myself. A short review's in my latest vlog, but here are my thoughts in case you're curious and want to try them out (spoiler alert: just get the 3x2 bottles mixed pack for S$46).

First beer, One Night in Cologne (S$S45 for 6-pack or $85 for 12-pack, free delivery). This is a German-style light ale with 5.2% ABV. This was my favourite among the lot for how easy to drink and smooth it was. For an infrequent beer drinker like me, this could be easily finished in one sitting. Especially refreshing during a warm day. Nothing in particular really jumps out, which was precisely its draw.

Second was the False Sense of Security (S$S45 for 6-pack or $85 for 12-pack, free delivery), which is precisely what you will get as you get lured by its fruity scent into thinking you'll get a fruity sweet beer. Nope. As a hazy session IPA with 4.7% ABV it has the lowest alcohol content but a classic IPA taste which can be a little bitter compared to the Cologne, and definitely a cognitive dissonance from the smell. To me this represents what craft beers can be like - not just your typical commercial beers, but full of surprises!

Lastly, the one for beer drinkers. The Ministry of Plenty (S$S48 for 6-pack or $88 for 12-pack, free delivery) is the beer that keeps on giving (geddit? hurh). It's a Hot Side Pale Ale with 5.6% ABV and according to the website description, hot side is a kind of brewing technique where they added hops while it is still boiling (?? interesting..). It's very hoppy - bitter if you would - but with depth. I liked the complexity in the bitterness, which reminds me that life is full of light :P

There you have it, the 3 beers reviewed. I hope this intrigues you and makes you curious to want and try out Alive Brewing Co. - check out their website and click on the "Rabbit Hole" button to order (delivery is free and prices are nett). They are also on Instagram and Facebook so feel free to follow for new drops. #SUPPORTLOCAL #SAVEFNBSG pls :)

For this week of 18-24 April I talk about the 3 big learnings from conducting an #virtualzoomtraining, alongside what I cooked, have delivered and am reading. Lastly I did a small taste test and first impressions of my brother's brewery beer from https://www.alivebrewing.co which you can order from!

For the week of 11-17 May 2020 I talk about my recent SGD4 #magneticlashes from Shopee, the phenomenon of #dropshipping and my #chloetingchallenge 2-week, 10m abs result! Lastly also some tips on how to trick yourself into eating less meat without trying.

For the week of 3-10 May, I spoke about my #Redmart and #Amazon.sg haul because it is so difficult to find these items in physical supermarkets in #Singapore. And I was surprised I could manage to get a free delivery slot within a week, which isn't too bad. Now I can make Cacio e Pepe (with the pecorino and barilla no. 5 pasta) and attempt pancakes! Plus try out Cheetos spicy for the first time, while I compare the Doritos Nacho Cheese dip with the California Creamery one. heh. Not to mention the McDs-ish nuggets from Freezepak with a Mothership.sg reader discovered.

For the week of 27 March to 3 May 2020, I talk about watching Money Heist (so good), buying random things online and discovering stuff missing in physical supermarkets during our #CircuitBreaker here in #Singapore. Also ordering from Pope Jai, which you can read on my blog review.

Oh and I've also embarked on the #ChloeTingChallenge since Labour Day! Wish me luck!!

As you know from watching my weekly vlog, it's been quite the journey during this COVID-19 outbreak with circuit breaker measures in place. As a result I've been working from home (thankful, that my job allows for it) and adjusting to the New Normal. That includes having every single meal at home 7 days a week, which I don't think I've ever done in my entire life since pre-primary. However, that's not the point of this blog post. The point is, food delivery services has been really out of reach for me personally since CB started, mainly because of the prohibitive min. orders like $80 and high delivery fees (I once saw it cost $8 to deliver a $5 bachormee from Upper Thomson, which is only about 3.3km away). Not to mention a lot of us realising that the 3 big delivery companies are taking a 30-35% cut from the F&B on top of the delivery fee we pay (all to the rider except 0.20). Still that means F&B businesses, a lot of whom are already treading water, have lower profit margins. That's why I have stopped using those food delivery services and would rather go direct instead.

And that's what first caught my attention when my friend posted about this Pope Jai Thai food delivery lunch. The min. order is only $20, and there's a $5 delivery fee islandwide. What got to me even more was that Pope Jai is actually a social enterprise restaurant at *Scape and they do social work to support the marginalised. And that's what struck me. Even better was their $8.80 set offer that comes with a milk tea. So I got to ordering direct via WhatsApp from Pope Jai (very simple, just fill out your order, wait for them to issue a bill and you transfer payment by UEN.)

You can view the full menu PDF from this Dropbox link or refer to their website. Alongside the Seafood Tang Hoon set ($8.80) for myself and the Honey Garlic Chicken Set ($8.80) for my helper, I ordered an ala carte Small Green Curry w Chicken ($9) for my dad from there, alongside a Red Ruby ($5.80) dessert! I also got to enjoy a free Mango Sticky Rice through a referral code from my friend. I had ordered quite in advance after lunch, for dinner later. The delivery guy came 5 mins before my preferred timing of 6.30-7pm which was awesome (my folks eat early!). So all these costed only S$37.40 incl. delivery!

So what's the verdict, you wonder? Well! I am happy to report that it was very decent for the value, convenience and taste. I love Thai food and it is one of those cuisines that I can't replicate at home. The Tang Hoon was the best dish among all - it was flavoured just right and the springy noodles with the crunch from the veggies was so appetising. It also had 3 big pieces of prawn in there. The sour chilli accompaniment also added a bit of heat (but not much). That was the main gripe I had for the green curry that my dad ordered - it was on the sweeter side (very lemak!) without much spiciness, probably for those who can't take it.

As for desserts, I was glad to have ordered the Red Ruby - the chestnuts with starch was fun to crunch on without being too sweet. And when it was delivered the ice was still all there while the mains were hot, which meant it didn't take too long! The mango sticky rice was alright though the glutinous rice was too sweet for me. Same verdict on the Thai Milk Tea - I wished the tea taste itself was stronger.

Overall though, Pope Jai Thai surpassed my expectations for a good food delivery that was tasty, affordable and with heart. Even though everything probably would taste better there and you could probably find even more authentic-tasting Thai food from places like Beer Thai in Golden Mile, Pope Jai had made the effort to deliver Singaporeans the option of aroy mak Thai food in the comfort of their homes. And as a bonus - I'm sharing my referral code for a free Mango Sticky Rice too valid until 4 May if you order a min. of $$30! So if you are interested, do give Pope Jai a try.

About me

Welcome to my blog

I'm Alexis Cheong - A Singapore food and lifestyle blogger. Passionate about good food, travel and beauty or gadgets. This blog is a place where I want to share all the things I love with over 17,700 views per month. Feel free to contact me to say hello or find out how we can collaborate.